L’Éclair de Génie — a Parisian pastry shop that only sells éclairs — is opening its 25th store on Robson Street in Vancouver in April 2017,  celebrating a renaissance on the éclair, a popular patisserie treat that is comforting, easy to eat, and able to be made at home.

“We have 257 kinds of éclairs, and I still have fun playing with new flavours, textures and colours,” says Christophe Adam. “The éclair must have oomph, with a dazzling, modern look.”

Adam has stores in Japan, Hong Kong, and Moscow, and the one in Vancouver will be the first L’Éclair de Genie in North America.

For the new Vancouver store, they will start with 10 kinds of éclairs and introduce two new ones each month, like every other store. And they also serve coffee.

CHRISTOPHE ADAM’s remarkable career has taken him from Michelin-starred restaurants in London to a burgeoning career as a luxury food purveyor with boutiques in Paris and Tokyo. Christophe is the author of the new Spring 2017 release Eclairs: Easy, Elegant & Modern Recipes. 

“I want to teach the technique that isn’t intimidating, so students can make a good éclair at home. You can come up with your own funky colours and flavour combinations but first learn how to make choux paste and the correct way to pipe the filling, and of course (make) the custard — life is about eating custard.”

Christophe Adam will be in Vancouver April 21-24.